In contrast to much of the developed world, the professionalisation of education for librarianship is a recent phenomenon in Nigeria. This study presents, from international perspectives, a conceptual framework for curriculum development and reviews existing literature. It considers factors which have resulted in the professionalisation of education for libarianship and information services, present library problems, libraries' responses to wider social changes, and future needs. It discusses the imperative to provide both theoretically-based academic education, grounded in the principles and philosophy of the profession, as well as vocationally-orientated education, to produce sufficient levels of adequately trained staff, urgently required in African libraries. The author is University Librarian at the University of Calabar Library, Nigeria.